Chinese Culture (General)

1. This lady warrior is wearing a majestic Dragon Chinese Opera Costume. 2. Can you see the dragon's face near her lower abdomen area? 3. This photo was taken sometime in the 1950's in Penang, West Malaysia. 4. What a pity if the photo was in colour! Wow... Truly majestic .... and beautiful handcrafted piece!

A child gets a haircut at a barbershop in Heifei, Anhui provicne, China yesterday. It is believed to bring luck when one gets a hair-cut during the second day of the second Chinese lunar month, which falls on March 17 this year. (REUTERS)

Despite the Beijing municipal government's two-decade-old push to encourage "green interments", which include so-called tree, burials, only 2 per cent of familes choose these cheaper and purportedly more eco-friendly methods of burial. Tree burials refer to the burying of body ashed under trees, flowers and lawns. "The earliest tree burial was promoted in the Fengtai district in 1990, when the local government held a gropu interment ceremony with tree burials," said Mr Jiang Xiaogang, secretary-general of the Beijing Funeral Association. He said the tree burials now use urns made of biodegradable materials, which turn into soil after several months or years, dependi…

In one of Bruce Lee's film... he was outside a building and he kicked and destroyed a sign that says " Dogs and Chinese"....

Some business prosper during the Chinese 7th month...

Source & Credit: MyPaper, Singapore Monday, January 17, 2011 Extracts: ONE: "Education thrives in China and the rest of Asia because it is a top priority - and the US has plenty to learn from that." TWO: "Americans think of China's strategic challenge in terms of, say, the new Chinese stealth fighter jet. But the real challenge is the rise of China's education system and the passion for learning that underlies it. We are not going to become Confucians, but we can elevate education on our list of priorities without relinquishing creativity and independent thought. That's what we did in 1957 after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik. "

SOURCE & CREDIT: THE STRAITS TIMES, SINGAPORE, SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2011 Potted beauties Pots of kumquats, pussy willows and chrysanthemums - Chinese New Year would not be complete without them. 1. Crinum superbum also known as the Fa Cai Suan. Fa cai means getting rich in Mandarin, while suan, meaning count, also refers to how its stems resembles that of a leek, which has the same sounding name. Unlike the leek, this is not edible. 2. Hoya Multifora: Gardeners nickname this nian nian you yu, as its flowers appear like yu or fish in Mandarin. Nian nian you yu is a Chinese idiom, meaning having surpluses every year. 3. Ardisia crenata: An evergreen shrub with dark g…

THE SWASTIKA SYMBOL IN Sanskrit LITERALLY MEANS: "TO BE GOOD". Thus for the last 3,000 years, it has been used by many culture as a symbol of "goodness". Erh.. guess which nation and person spoilt the image (goodness) of the Swastika? ACTUNG! HI HITLER!

An interesting article, showcasing some traditions and customs...

The days of sending traditional Chinese postcards are nearing it's end... From now onwards, on Chinese New Year (CNY); I will continue to document a collection of auspicious CNY SMS-greetings...

The Shanghai Commission for Management of Language use has been trying to fix malapropisms in the city's English-language signs and menus. "Gone too, is Racist Park, a cultural attraction that has since been rechristened Minorities Park.

This photo was taken in Tampines, Singapore at around 7am in the morning. These elderly ladies are practising what is known as "Tai-ji fan exercises. It is interesting to hear the group of ladies flip the fan open together. The sound is like a "thunderous sound" of a platoon of soldiers standing at an attention! Why do the wrist exercise? Based on the Five Elements concept; flexing the wrist(s) is said to help improve one's liver and gall bladder. Usually, the exercise begins with the Five-element position and there is suppose to be two sets of routines each with six different stances. Did you see some of the ladies holding a fan?

This is pre-CNY (Chinese New Year) period. Took photos of this very useful guide to the names and photos of plants. Don't know who owns the chart but it seems; Giant always bring out this chart, yearly. So I guess the copyright belongs to them. Source and Credit: Location: Giant Hypermart, Tampines Ave 10; Singapore.

SOURCE & CREDIT: THE STRAITS TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 21 2011 Honouring Lao Tzu Taoist priests attending a memorial ceremony for the 2,582nd anniversary of the birth of Taoism founder Lao Tzu at Tianjing Palace, or the Heavenly Peace Palance, in Woyang county, in eastern China's Anhui province, last Saturday. Lao Tzu is best known as the authoer of the classical Taoist text; the Tao Te CHing. The Heavenly Peace Palace in Woyang was the birthplace of the Chinese philosopher. PHOTO XINHUA

This feature wall showing a procession of a traditional Chinese wedding. The feature wall is part of a restaurant's welcoming mural. Location: Vivo City. Very unique mural. Symbolically; the procession seems auspicious. As it looks like a crowd of people "marching" into the restaurant! Thus, seems meaningful.

Jaw-dropping snap Relax, there's no need to snatch this child out of the jaws of death. She is just lying on a 3-D pavement artwork featuring a shark, while posing for a photograph inside a shopping mall in Fuzhou, Fujian province, on Sunday. PHOTO REUTERS

In Singapore, it is very common to find food offerings by hawker vendors (or stall holders). The stall holders would serve a plate (sample) of their food that is for sale on that day to the Gods (deity) in the hope to drum up business. (Location: Coffeshop next to the Kovan Residences (just TOP).

Yesterday, went for an appointment, near-by. This food stall (operated by a mainland Chinese) in the Midview Building at Bukit Batok has the signage that says " Everyone OK kitchen".

QUOTE: China's banks: `The fish always stinks from the head' China's chief banking regulator Liu Ming-Kang has a folksy way of explaining his work. "The fish always stinks from the head" is a favourite. This belief that regulation must focus on banks' head offices can be seen in China's zeal to enforce the Basel III rules. While there is talk in the United States and Eurpoe of easing the lquidity rules, the China Banking Regulatory Commission has been pushing ahead with a set of rules that is stricter in definitions than what has been agreed internationally...... -- UNQUOTE -- This reminds me of the same way Geomancer's view the "Head of the House" or rather; th…

To the Chinese, red is auspicious... here goes

Source: Today, Friday February 10, 2012 New York ... The ancient Chinese...

Is this for real? Sheep Placenta as natural skin food? Who dare to swallow these capsules? Saw this in a local Traditional herbal shop.... .... Vomit..... vomit....

Spotted. Above this factory's main entrance door is a bunch of Chinese Leeks (vegetable). Chinese leeks are popular during Chinese New Year. As eating leeks symbolises ever increasing wealth! In addition, Chinese leeks also means: Purity and Justice. And for those who felt that they were wrongly accused; use Chinese Leeks to gain attention for a trial. In modern homes, some Chinese still hang a bunch of leeks above the main door with the hope of increasingwealth for the year.

SOURCE & CREDIT: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3025796.stm Chinese 'takes more brainpower' Speaking Chinese may take more brainpower than speaking English, a study suggests. Researchers in Britain have found that people who speak Mandarin Chinese use both sides of their brain to understand the language. The researchers said the findings could boost understanding of how the brain processes languages. This, in turn, could one day help scientists to develop better ways of helping people to re-learn languages after a stroke or similar damage to the brain. This compares to English-language speakers who only need to use one side of their brain. Brain scans …

I can choose which facing direction for my house every second, every minute, every hour and every day. Can your house do so?